


sunkissed

by am_y22



Category: TWICE (Band)
Genre: F/F, lol idk, not really angst but not fluff either, sahyo, sanayeon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 09:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18568492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/am_y22/pseuds/am_y22
Summary: in which the air is poisoned, but sana has to breathe it. she can't have nayeon any other way.





	sunkissed

**Author's Note:**

> long time no see :')
> 
> it's not my usual, but i hope you enjoy it nonetheless
> 
> much love <3

Her day went like this:

They were sunkissed, lying on a field of flowers that tickled their skin, on a day of warmth that tickled their hearts. It was quieter than they thought, so much to the point where, if they listened carefully, they could hear the birds chirping in the tree behind them, the rustle of brush after each breeze, and even the flutter of a butterfly's wing.

The grass was tall, taller than the height of their upturned bodies, bodies partially in shade, partially in sun, but connected nonetheless. Hand in hand, the shape of the two almost looked like that of a heart, the heart of nature, perhaps, perfectly serene in a plane of color.

Hand in hand, they almost looked like love itself.

Nayeon stared at the sky, azure and vibrant and all the things books tried (but failed) to describe. It was the stuff of dreams, and if it weren't for the marshmallow clouds directly above her gaze, her eyes might've shriveled away from the purity of it all.

Sana stared as well, at something she would argue was even _more_ deadly than the sheen of the sky. This, too, was the stuff of dreams, of _her_ dreams, to be exact, and she couldn't imagine a life without it. Face turned to the side, eyes dusted with something akin to sparkles, Sana stared at the love of her life.

They were beautiful.

So when Sana's vision began to blur, she instinctively held onto the hand beside her even tighter.

_Just ten more minutes._

The sky was the first to disappear, like wet paint smudged across its canvas, from blue to gray to black, until only a sad excuse for a sun was left, dim and insignificant in the emptiness it now lived in.

_Please, just ten more minutes._

The field was next, the grass and the flowers all sinking back into the earth, until there was only a hard surface between her body and rest of the world.

_Please._

Nayeon was the last to leave. Her legs, her body, her face—her gorgeous, angelic face—and finally, her hand, so purposely intertwined with Sana's, now limp and cold, gone.

"Sana, wake up."

Slowly, Sana opened her eyes in the hopes to retain as much of her dream as possible. Her hand wandered and clenched in a futile attempt to hold Nayeon's just a little longer, only to find crumpled sheets between her fingertips.

She sighed and felt her breath bounce back to her. It was only then that she was conscious of the large mask around her mouth, and reality punched her once more. Hard.

"You really have to stop taking off your mask, Sana," Jihyo said, soft but firmly, looking down at Sana from the edge of her bed with something close to pity on her face. "You know how dangerous it is."

"But we still leave hundreds of people without masks, don't we, Hyo?" Sana snapped, immediately regretting it as the last dregs of sleep slipped away and she caught the look of hurt flash across Jihyo's face. She cursed herself. "I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean that" Sana shook her head shamefully. "I know you're trying your best. I shouldn't have said that."

Jihyo smiled, albeit a small one, but it was enough to bring back a little feeling into Sana's body. "It's okay. I get it. Just, get dressed? I left some food outside for you, and you know where I'll be once you're ready." She left a comforting touch on Sana's shoulders before she headed for the door, stopping once more to give a final piece of encouragement. "We're close, Sana. I can feel it." Her eyes glimmered. "Just a little longer." And with that, she left Sana alone.

"Just a little longer," Sana whispered to herself. "Just a little longer," she repeated as she held the sheets even tighter, imagining the hands of a certain someone as she did so.

She sighed and got up. She wished she never had to wake up.

"Just a little longer."

 

* * *

 

Years had gone by, but the sight still shocked her every time. She'd enter the lab, expecting to see the faces of her colleagues hard at work, only to be met with walking masks that covered half of their faces. Only the eyes were free, but the mouth area was made of glass to sustain visibility. The rest was an ugly black that wrapped around the back of the head like a snake, with two mechanical tubes protruding from the top to filter in/out the oxygen.

Only Jihyo didn't wear a mask.

Somehow, Jihyo was immune to the poison that tainted the air (Sana always thought of it more as drug). So, after years and years of trial and error, she constructed a mask with its very own Brita oxygen filter. And Sana was the first person she gave the mask to.

From then, they worked together to produce as many masks as they could. The pair had gotten quite close in their time together. And even though, admittedly, a good twenty-five percent of all their conversation was based solely around Nayeon, Jihyo didn't mind. If it made Sana happy, Jihyo was always on board.

A few months in, when they ran out of resources, their efforts chalked up to a decent thirty masks. It wasn't much, but it was a start. Consequently, the choice for who got the masks was incredibly selective—Nayeon didn't make the cut.

(They were down to one mask.

"Are you sure, Sana?" Jihyo asked. "You mention her at least once every hour. We can afford to give away one mask if it means you'll be happier. You'll work better that way."

"No, we can't afford it," Sana said solemnly. "And no, I won't work better that way. Just give it to Mina instead. She'll be an important addition to the team."

Jihyo was about to protest once more, but from the look on Sana's face, she decided against it. "Okay.")

Sana finished munching on her breakfast, and moments after entering the lab, Jihyo approached her.

"We have rounds today, Sana," Jihyo informed her.

" _Ugh_ ," Sana groaned, her body instantly slumping. "I _hate_ rounds."

"I know you do," Jihyo chuckled, "but we actually _need_ people to use the cure on once we find it. And we won't have people if we don't have rounds."

Sana scrunched her nose. "I _know_ that. I still don't like them," she muttered.

"Why don't you, though?" Mina suddenly asked, appearing from absolutely nowhere. "I mean, I know it's not the ideal situation, but you get to see Nayeon, right? Isn't that a good thing?"

"She makes a good point, Sana," Jihyo agreed. "Why don't you like rounds?"

Rather than answering, Sana thought back to the fields, where she lied down hand in hand with Nayeon, where she didn't have a worry in the world.

"I just don't, okay?" Sana weakly responded. "Whatever, let's just get this over with." Grabbing the briefcase, Sana headed out the door. "I'll take Building J."

"But Nayeon's in Building S—"

Sana was out the door before Mina could finish.

 

* * *

 

Sana worked quickly, going from sleeping body to body to administer the temporary medicine, something she came up with, actually, after a month crammed over Jihyo's blood samples and various chemicals. It wasn't a cure, far from it, but it was enough to keep the poison at bay until they _did_ find the cure. The cure, which, in Jihyo's words, should take "just a little longer". But Sana knew better. It's been "just a little longer" for years now.

She shook the thoughts out of her head and focused on her work, scared of where her mind might wander.

Find a vein, inject, next. Vein, inject, next. Vein, inject, next.

The tremble appeared from a shiver, and Sana was forced to drop the needle onto the floor. It clattered and echoed across the hall. She sighed, disrupted from her routine, but didn't move to start over. Instead, for the first time, Sana stopped and glanced around.

In every sense but one, this place was an abandoned hospital. People were placed neatly across the floor, barely six inches between each of them. Sana still remembered the sickening months she spent carrying the bodies up and into all of these buildings. They weren't strong enough to transfer beds, so they just left them all like this.

Her heart ached, but she put on a tough face and resumed her job. She had to. For Nayeon.

She finished early, but rather than heading back to the lab to refill her briefcase, unsure of what prompted her to do so, Sana took a seat and indulged herself in what was ironically her biggest fear—her thoughts.

The mask was incredibly uncomfortable, and even though its entire purpose was to grant the ability to breathe without danger, Sana felt suffocated. How easy would it be to strip it all off and freely breathe in the fresh air? Poison, they called it, but Sana disagreed. For how could it possibly be poison when it brought to her the most beautiful of dreams? How could it possibly be _bad_ when it brought her Nayeon?

Sure, breathing the air would kill her ever so slowly, but was it worth it?

 _Maybe,_ Sana thought, as the picture of a field flashed across her mind.

 _Definitely,_ Sana thought, as the portrait of Nayeon's face painted its way across Sana's heart.

But not today.

Readjusting her mask, Sana stood firmly and picked up the now empty briefcase.

She could wait a little longer, until they found the cure and everything was okay.

Not today, but someday. Soon.

Just a little longer.

 

* * *

 

"Sana! Look what we found!" Jihyo cheered.

Confused, Sana walked over to the rest of the team, all crowded around something she couldn't quite see. Even more startling, however, if she wasn't mistaken, was the _hope_ she heard in Jihyo's voice.

_No way._

Keeping her face stern and her emotions tamed, Sana made her way to Jihyo's side.

"What happened?" Sana asked.

"Look for yourself," Jihyo said proudly, pointing to the big pile just ten feet over.

Sana squinted, stared at the sight for much longer than necessary, until all the pieces clicked and she whipped her head back to Jihyo's beaming smile. "Is that what I think it is?"

Jihyo nodded, and Sana couldn't help but let out a laugh and pull the girl into a tight embrace. They stayed like that for a while, and Sana couldn't remember the last time she was so consciously happy.

Sana pulled away and took a deep breath. "Where'd you find this?"

Jihyo shook her head and pointed to the girl at the front of the pack. "Mina found it, said she stumbled across some uneven ground, grabbed a couple people, and just started digging. It's a miracle."

Sana searched around and locked eyes with Mina, smiling fondly and shooting the girl a quick thumbs up. She turned her head back to Jihyo and chuckled. "I told you Mina would be an important addition to the team."

Jihyo frowned at that, understanding what she was referencing, but shook her head dismissively as her mind launched positively to the future. "With this amount of material, we can probably make another fifty masks! And this time, I won't let you give up Nayeon for someone else," she stated heroically.

But at the mention of her name, the excitement washed away like a splash of cold water and Sana's eyes turned dark. "I appreciate the optimism, Jihyo, but you and I both know this will only give us another ten masks, fifteen if we're lucky. And there are better people we can put to use than Nayeon."

Jihyo sighed exasperatedly, her tone falling heavier with each breath. "I don't get you sometimes, you know that? We have a great team here, and I'm sure everyone would agree that we can spare one mask. So why won't you let us wake up Nayeon? I know how much she means to you. So when we wake her up, you can finally stop breathing in this poison, finally stop _killing yourself,_ and all for what? Just to see her in your hallucinations?" Jihyo couldn't fathom it. "Why dream of her when you can actually be with her?!"

Sana's smile was long gone by then, replaced once more with her cold and stoic expression. Her next words were spoken in a whisper. "I'll only say it one more time. Just drop it, okay? These masks can go to someone else."

Sana turned around and left at that, before she could see Jihyo's eyes fall and her smile break.

_It's better this way._

 

* * *

 

They made thirteen masks.

Sana didn't care who they went to, as long as it wasn't _her_. Jihyo knew this, she made sure of it.

She went to her room for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

She was so close.

Her eyes were shut, her body swaying as she breathed in her drug, the last remnants of reality slowly dripping away, drip drop, drip drop, to reveal the familiar azure sky and field of flowers. So close, that all she had to do was turn her head and she'd see her. Just a little more, a little farther. There. Right there. She could see her. Nayeon—

"Sana!"

And just as soon as it was there, it was gone, crumbling away instantly at the sound of her name and the hastily placed mask around her head.  

Sana almost whimpered, but she swallowed the sound and took a deep breath, ready to be scolded for the hundredth time. But when she peeked her eyes open, she didn't see anger. She didn't even see Jihyo.

It was Mina, and she looked horrified.

No one had ever seen her like this except Jihyo.

"Sana, what were you thinking?" Mina cried, looking so fragile and scared as if _she_ was the one breathing in death itself. "What happened? Did your mask stop working? Are you okay?"

And while any other day Sana would've done her best to console the poor girl, today wasn't any other day. Instead, she brushed off the questions and asked one herself.

"Where's Jihyo?"

Mina's eyes lit up at that, jumping eagerly like she had forgotten the entire incident already. "That's why I came here, actually. She told me the news just a minute ago. I saw her leave your room, so I assumed she told you, but when I asked if I could see you, she said you were sleeping. Then she left, and I just couldn't wait until she got back," she rambled breathlessly. "I had to tell you myself."

Sana's nose twitched, growing impatient. "Tell me what, Mina?" she urged.

Mina smiled excitedly, rested a bit like she was building up an effect, before saying, "Jihyo's giving one of the masks to Nayeon."

Sana was out the door before Mina even knew what happened.

 

* * *

 

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Sana screamed.

There they were, the two of them standing on opposite edges of a sea of sleeping bodies, Jihyo holding a mask at one end, Sana fuming at the other.

Sana's heels echoed forcefully as she marched over, stealing all of Jihyo's attention before she could make another move. Sana was assertive, dominating almost, revealing a side of her no one had ever seen before, but Jihyo wasn't budging.

"How did you find out?" Jihyo asked, spoken in such a calm and gentle voice that Sana was thrown off slightly.

"Mina woke me up," Sana answered, placated slightly by the aura of Jihyo's stance. "Want to tell me what you're doing here?"

"Want to tell me why you're so keen on keeping yourself miserable when the solution is right in front of you?" Jihyo fired back.

Sana clenched her jaw. "It's for the best," she tried, but she didn't sound very convincing.

Jihyo didn't look like she believed it either. "C'mon, Sana. You and I both know that's a steaming load of crap. What's the real reason?"

Sana ground her teeth. "It's none of your business, Hyo. Why can't you respect that?"

"Because you keep killing yourself just to hallucinate about her!" Jihyo lashed out.

"Why does it matter so much to you if I'm killing myself?" Sana countered. "You're always complaining about the lack of resources. If I die, then it's one more mask for you, isn't it?"

"Are you serious right now?" Jihyo scoffed. "God, you're insufferable. You know that, right?"

Sana didn't reply, only stood and listened for what else she had to say.

Jihyo continued in a craze. "Why does it matter to me, you ask? Because I care about you, you idiot!" Jihyo exclaimed, as if it was the most obvious thing in this sick world they lived in. " _You_ were the first person I saved, Sana. _You_ came up with the medicine that keeps these people alive long enough until we find the cure, which, if I may add, you'll probably discover! But most importantly," Jihyo took a deep breath, almost hesitant to finish her thought. She let her shoulders slacken and her tone warm. "Most importantly, you're my _friend_ , Sana, and I love you for that. I love you so, so much for that. So if wasting a mask on Nayeon is enough to keep you around, who am I to refuse?" Her words cracked to a whisper.

All Sana could do was stare, allowing the silence to envelop her in a blanket of reflection and guilt. Jihyo _always_ had a smile on her face, so when she stood there before her with glossy eyes, looking so vulnerable and _angry,_ it hurt. She'd never seen Jihyo so broken before.

So, she did the only sensible thing she could think to do. Leaving her actions to express her emotions before her words, Sana stepped forward, tentatively, and without any outer resistance, wrapped her arms around Jihyo's shoulders and held her closer than ever before. And they stayed like that for a moment, a shared moment, until Sana was strong enough to speak again.

Her head was buried in Jihyo's neck as she confessed her faults, body warm and close to tears. "I'm sorry, Hyo. I was always so busy thinking about Nayeon, I never thought about anyone else, _especially_ you. That was really shitty of me."

Jihyo chuckled lightly, knowing full well she never blamed Sana in the first place. "Yeah, no kidding."

They pulled apart at that, but kept their arms linked, living a certain type of intimacy they hadn't had in a while.

Jihyo squinted. "You still haven't told me your reason, though."

Sana's hands were clammy as she strained a smile and mustered all the sincerity she could into her gaze. "Let's just put this all behind us, okay? Can you do that for me?" With stern but kind eyes, she prayed the hope she portrayed was believable, was enough. "Let's just focus on our research. We'll find the cure soon. I can feel it," she echoed.

"Just a little longer," they said at the same time.

A pause.

"Okay," Jihyo relented, like she always did whenever it came to Sana. "For you."

Jihyo sighed, looking from the mask in her hand, to the girl below her, and finally to Sana. Her eyebrows quirked. "It's been a while since you've been here, hasn't it?" she inquired curiously. "I guess I'll leave you two alone then. See you later, Sana."

Jihyo's shoes clicked into nothing, and it was only then that Sana registered where she was.

Slowly, hesitantly, Sana looked down.

She felt her breath hitch and her heart skip a beat. All of a sudden, she was reminded of why she hated rounds so much.

Nayeon was frail, malnourished, and deathly pale, but she was the same Nayeon she had always known.

"Still beautiful as ever," Sana whispered, kneeling down to take Nayeon's hand in her own as her eyes began to sting.

(The first time Sana did her rounds, she headed straight to Building S, to Nayeon. There was no thread of doubt. She had to see her.

Nayeon looked healthier back then, cheeks a little rounder, skin a little brighter.

After she finished her duties, Sana just sat by Nayeon's side, holding her hand as she imagined a better life for the two of them. It was one of her better memories, before her thoughts grew dark and twisted.

In fact, Sana stayed for so long that Jihyo and Mina went looking for her. When they found Sana, kneeled over a girl, eyes closed and holding her hand, they moved to leave, but Sana caught them before they could. She called them over.

Sana wasn't as tough back then, and that day she opened up, just a little bit, about who Nayeon was to her. She didn't say much, spared all the details, but she said enough for Jihyo and Mina to comprehend just how important Nayeon was to her, just how much she loved her.

When Sana got back to her room that night, she took off her mask for the first time.

She hadn't visited Nayeon since.)

Sana sighed and held Nayeon's hand for just a moment more. It felt like forever, but it would never be enough. Nothing would.

She didn't linger this time, didn't think she could handle being there for much longer. So, with a heavy heart, Sana pressed a sweet kiss to Nayeon's forehead and left the building.

"Until next time, Nayeon."

 

* * *

 

They were making progress.

The new recruits, Dahyun and Chaeyoung specifically, were madmen in the lab, experimenting like crazy to find the cure. Jihyo watched over them fondly. "They're like my kids," she would say.

In the meantime, Mina had gathered her own group to search for more resources, hoping to hit another lucky strike. She had gotten along particularly well with Jeongyeon and Tzuyu, the trio hitting it off immediately after their introductions.

That left Sana, who had found some comfort in the form of a girl named Momo. They didn't talk much, did their respective research individually, but the mere presence of the other girl was enough to keep Sana at ease.

"Just a little longer," she would say. Except this time, she believed it.  


* * *

 

Another year had gone by.

The work was slow, but it was steady. They still had hope.

Mina's group had found three more sweet spots, totaling in forty-three new masks. Each time Mina shared the news, Jihyo would look over at Sana, an unreadable message in her eyes, but would never say anything. Sana was the most grateful for her in those moments.

The lab was fuller now. Jihyo still lead all of the experiments, with Dahyun and Chaeyoung just under her wing. Mina's group had split into two, with Momo joining whenever she needed a break from inside.

The numbers helped, it really did. The mood was livelier, with hope shining brighter and the sprint for the cure seeming closer than ever.

Sana stayed the same, continued to do her research independently and in her own world. She still talked with Jihyo once in a while, but since the new additions, their interactions were becoming increasingly limited.

She still took off her mask every now and then. The only difference was now, she would tell Jihyo in advance so the girl could wake her up before it got dangerous. In a messed up reality, Sana's dreams were the only constant in her life. Every time she removed her mask and breathed in the drug-filled air, the blue sky would swim into view and the butterflies would ripple through the wind. The flowers would wrap around her body and her hand would hold on tightly to Nayeon's. Sana's face would be turned to the side, and she would drink in as much of Nayeon's beauty as she could before it all drained away and the mask was back around her head.

It was okay, though, Sana told herself, because it was all worth it.

Even if it was killing her.

 

* * *

 

Chaeyoung banged on everyone's door at four am one morning. And if they weren't already awake, then they sure as hell would've been by the time Dahyun made her way around the rooms.

There was endless shouting, screaming even, until an exhausting and confusing twenty minutes later, everyone (including Sana) was in the main lab, simultaneously grumpy, tired, and expectant.

It was Jihyo who made the announcement: "We found the cure."

Sana didn't really remember what happened after that.

There were bouts of joy, breakdowns into tears, and an overall sense of accomplishment.

Tzuyu volunteered to be the first tester of the cure. After the solution was injected into her veins, she removed her mask as everyone else watched in frozen anticipation.

A minute passed. Then five. Ten.

Nothing. Nothing happened.

Tzuyu smiled, utterly unaffected by the poison in the air. "It works."

They had a celebration that night.

Sana had mixed emotions, spent the night by Jihyo's side as they reveled in their accomplishment, their equal years of nonstop research and toil. She was happy, that was a given, but a part of her was also scared. What would happen now?

She supposed she could ponder over that another day. For that night, however, she could let herself go and enjoy her time together with her team, her _friends._ Sana smiled.

One thing was for sure: they did it.

 

* * *

 

The next couple of months were a blur.

It started with giving the cure to as many members of the team first. Some politely declined to speed up the process and offered to receive their dosage later. (Sana was one of them.)

They decided to hold off on waking anyone up before they had enough vials for at least half of the buildings, reasoning that they needed time to set up the accommodations for so many new people.

The work never really stopped. In fact, they worked even harder from that day on.

It was a slow process, frustrating and grueling, with a production rate of only ten vials a week.

Everything was worth it, though, Sana kept reminding herself. It would all be worth it in the end. It had to be.

And before she knew it, they were finally ready to administer the first batch of the cure. It would go to Buildings A-M first.

Sana acted diligently, started from A and worked her way down, shooting up vein after vein with the liquid, but never staying long enough to see the bodies wake up. The others could deal with that.

Jihyo walked up to her one day, as she was refilling her briefcase with fresh vials. They hadn't spoken in weeks.

"Look, I know what you said in the past," Jihyo started, and Sana's heart clenched because she knew where this was going, "but it's different this time. Nayeon's in S, so she won't get the cure for another couple months. Why don't we take a vial and wake her up now?"

Sana tried really hard to keep her emotions hidden, because she knew _she_ was being the unreasonable one, but she couldn't help it. It was almost funny, how Jihyo didn't even know Nayeon, yet never failed to take the initiative if she thought it would bring Sana joy. The worst part was how _hopeful_ she looked, which made it all the much harder for Sana to reject her one last time.

She smiled sadly. "It's okay, Hyo. I've waited for years now. I can wait a little longer. It's only fair."

Sana saw it in her eyes. Jihyo wanted to fight for Nayeon, just like she had done so fervently in the past. But it always ended the same. So, for the last time, Jihyo let it go.

"Okay, Sana. Whatever's best for you." Jihyo patted her shoulder soothingly. "We'll have a lot more people on deck, so it shouldn't take nearly as long." She smiled. "Just a little longer."

And to that, Sana couldn't help but smile back. "Just a little longer."

 

* * *

 

Jihyo and a couple of others moved to different districts before the second batch of the cure was finished, said their work was done here and that they wanted to spread their knowledge to the rest of the world.

("Say hi to Nayeon for me, would you?" Jihyo requested before she left.

"Of course, Jihyo," Sana grinned. "Anything for you."

"Don't miss me too much, okay?"

"Me? Miss you? As if I would ever," Sana scoffed carelessly, but her eyes begged to differ.

In their last minutes, Jihyo softened up and wrapped her arms securely around Sana's waist. "I'll miss you too, Sana. I'll make sure to visit one day, okay? Just wait a little longer."

Sana smiled. "Just a little longer.")

Only Dahyun stayed, and Sana thanked the sun for this particular act of fate. Dahyun was a smart girl, but she was sweet too, and if it came from Sana, she wouldn't question it.

So when they were only a day away from finishing the last vials of the second batch, Sana was ready.

She claimed she was going on rounds, and even though they both knew rounds at this point was useless, Dahyun let the girl go.

Slowly, but steadily, Sana made her way over to Building S. To Nayeon.

Nayeon was, of course, right where Sana left her, asleep on the ground with the rest of the bodies.

This time, however, Sana lied down next her. This time, Sana stayed.

It felt so familiar, staring at Nayeon so lovingly as she held her hand so tenderly. The scenery was by no means anything like her dreams, but somehow, it felt just as pure.

Sana smiled. "Jihyo says hi," she whispered.

It was perfect, and this time, it would last forever.

Sana would make sure of it.

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Sana informed Dahyun that she'd be going to another district to help out over there.

"Are you sure, Sana?" Dahyun asked innocently. "You don't want to stay for this batch of the cure? We just finished, you know."

"It's okay, Dahyun. Before it gets too crowded," Sana joked.

"Well, whatever's best for you, Sana." Dahyun smiled brightly, unknowingly echoing Jihyo's words as she pulled Sana into a comforting hug. "I guess I'll see you around, Sana."

"See you around, Dahyun."

And at that, Sana left—not to another district, though, but to her room.

She made sure to lock her door before she lied on her bed and closed her eyes one last time, welcoming the sleep with open arms and the air with an open heart.

 

* * *

 

Her dream went like this:

They were sunkissed, lying on a field as they stared at a rainbow in the azure sky.

Sana breathed in the fresh air, let out a deep exhale as a butterfly fluttered before their very eyes. It was quiet, and if she listened carefully, she could hear the scuffles of the squirrel climbing the tree behind them, the buzz of the bees at the tips of their feet, and the peaceful breaths from both their bodies.

The rainbow was new, but definitely _not_ unwelcome. It was distractingly stunning, the array of colors illuminating the clouds in the sky down to the flowers in the fields. Sana stared at it for much longer than she should have before she remembered the whole reason she was here.

Slowly, but surely, Sana turned her head over, and for the first time, Nayeon was staring right back at her. Sana held her hand a little tighter at that, and they smiled.

It felt like home.

Nayeon was beautiful, and she was everything Sana needed, for the rest of her life, just like that.

They were beautiful.

They were in love.

And they had forever.

  
  
  
  
  


 

 

 

 

* * *

 

It was by a complete fluke that Jihyo was where she was, but it was a pleasant surprise nonetheless when she eyed a particular someone standing in the same aisle of the market.

She approached the figure. "Pardon me, but are you Nayeon?"

Startled at the mention of her name, Nayeon turned around slowly, only to be met with a complete stranger. "Sorry, but who are you?"

Jihyo flashed a smile. "I'm Jihyo," she stated.

There was a pause, and Jihyo stood there for a second, waiting for some form of recognition to pass across Nayeon's face. However, nothing clicked.

Nayeon shook her head apologetically. "Sorry, I think you have the wrong Nayeon."

A little confused, Jihyo gave it one last try. "You know, Jihyo. I'm a friend of Sana's."

Nayeon's brow furrowed. "Who's that?"

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> originally, i was going to end it without the last segment to give it the vibe of a happier ending, but then i had that thought and decided to end it like this :')
> 
> there is one very important detail about sana and nayeon's relationship that is hinted throughout the fic, and then finalized in the last segment,, it was never planned, but i thought it would give their relationship amazing depth
> 
> i won't reveal what it is in respect to the nature of this story, but i really hope you guys leave your thoughts as to what it could be~
> 
> thank you for reading <3
> 
> twitter: @_am_y22


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